In a distributed security system, various devices may be distributed on multiple networks. The components may be remotely located from each other or from a centralized controller. For example, cameras, monitors, recorder servers, meta-data servers, and archive servers may be attached to different networks. Often, the remotely-located components communicate wirelessly. For example, a network may use IP-based (Internet protocol) distributed architecture. The controller coordinates operations of the remotely located components. The security system activates recording or live analysis operations when a security event, such as motion, is detected. Because security events are not predetermined, conflicts may arise between various devices due to load and availability limitations.
It is therefore desirable to distribute the load on the devices according to various operations. The present invention uses a centralized controller to distribute operations to the devices according to load, availability, capacity, priority, and device capabilities.